نَصِيبُكَ مِنْ هَذَا الوُجُودِ مَصَائِبُهْ

نَصِيبُكَ مِنْ هَذَا الوُجُودِ مَصَائِبُهْ

وَدَاءٌ تُقَاسِيهِ وَمَوْتٌ تُحَارِبُهْ

وَدَاءٌ تُقَاسِيهِ وَمَوْتٌ تُحَارِبُهْ

Your share of this existence is its calamities,

Your share of this existence is its afflictions,

And an illness you endure, and a death you battle.

An illness you endure and a death you battle.

تُسَرُّ بِمَوْلُودٍ وَتَأْسَى لِرَاحِلٍ

تُسَرُّ بِمَوْلُودٍ وَتَأْسَى لِرَاحِلٍ

وَطَالِعُهُ رَهْنُ الفَنَاءِ وَغَارِبُهْ

وَطَالِعُهُ رَهْنُ الفَنَاءِ وَغَارِبُهْ

You rejoice at a newborn and grieve for one departed,

You rejoice for one newly born and grieve for one departed;

And its rising and its setting alike are pledged to extinction.

Its rising is hostage to vanishing and its setting.

لَعَمْركَ إِنَّ العَيْشَ صَفْقَةُ خَاسِرٍ

لَعَمْركَ إِنَّ العَيْشَ صَفْقَةُ خَاسِرٍ

إِذَا وُزِنَتْ لَذَّاتُهُ وَمَتَاعِبُهْ

إِذَا وُزِنَتْ لَذَّاتُهُ وَمَتَاعِبُهْ

By your life, living is a loser's bargain,

By your life, surely living is a losing deal

When its pleasures and its hardships are weighed.

If its pleasures and troubles are weighed.

يَمُرُّ لِمَامًا كَالخَيَالِ صَفَاؤُهُ

يَمُرُّ لِمَامًا كَالخَيَالِ صَفَاؤُهُ

عَلَيْكَ، وَتَبْقَى — مَا بقيتَ — نَوَائِبُهْ

عَلَيْكَ، وَتَبْقَى — مَا بقيتَ — نَوَائِبُهْ

Its serenity passes fleetingly, like a phantom,

Its serenity passes by like a mirage;

Over you, while its calamities remain as long as you live.

It remains over you—as long as you remain—its misfortunes.

وَتَقْضِي سنيَّ العمرِ سَعْيًا لِمَطْلَبٍ

وَتَقْضِي سنيَّ العمرِ سَعْيًا لِمَطْلَبٍ

فَتَقْضِي، وَلَا يُقْضَى الَّذِي أَنْتَ طَالِبُهْ

فَتَقْضِي، وَلَا يُقْضَى الَّذِي أَنْتَ طَالِبُهْ

And you spend life's years striving for a goal,

You spend the years of life striving for some goal,

Then you die, while what you seek remains unfulfilled.

Then you attain it not, which you seek.

فَمَا أَحْقَرَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَشْقَى نَزِيلَهَا

فَمَا أَحْقَرَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَشْقَى نَزِيلَهَا

وَمَرْجِعُهُ هَذَا الثَّرَى وَغياهِبُهْ!

وَمَرْجِعُهُ هَذَا الثَّرَى وَغياهِبُهْ!

So how contemptible the world, and how wretched its dweller,

So how paltry is this world and how wretched its inhabitant,

And his return is to this soil and its dark depths!

Whose fate is dust and perishing!

خُشُوعًا أَمَامَ المَوْتِ فَالمَوْتُ هَيْكَلٌ

خُشُوعًا أَمَامَ المَوْتِ فَالمَوْتُ هَيْكَلٌ

مبَاخِرُهُ الأَرْوَاحُ وَالهَوْلُ رَاهِبُهْ

مبَاخِرُهُ الأَرْوَاحُ وَالهَوْلُ رَاهِبُهْ

Bow in reverence before death, for death is a temple,

Humbled before death—for death's a sanctuary

Whose censers are souls, and whose monk is terror.

Whose incense is souls and whose awe makes ascetics.